Since Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi was sentenced to eight years
in prison last week on the charge of spying for foreign governments, human
rights and press freedom groups have become increasingly critical of the political
nature of her case and the harsh and unprecedented penalty.

A dual citizen of the U.S. and Iran, Saberi, 31, grew up in Fargo, North Dakota.
Five years ago, she moved to Iran and began working as a freelancer for a variety
of news agencies, including National Public Radio, BBC, and Inter Press Service.

The former beauty queen – Saberi was the 1997 "Miss North Dakota"
– was arrested in January and initially accused of trying to buy wine, later
of lacking valid press credentials, and finally with espionage.

"When she heard of the sentence, she found it unacceptable. She was shocked
and distraught. It was totally unexpected for me, as well," Saberi’s lawyer,
Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, told IPS by telephone from Tehran. "I had provided
the court with reasoning which would refute the charges, and I continue to
hold to my belief. I will provide my appeal to the court in 20 days."

Robert Baer, Time.com’s intelligence columnist and the author of The
Devil We Know: Dealing With the New Iranian Superpower, told IPS that
unfortunately, Saberi has become caught up in the Iranian election cycle, with
hardliners trying to prove they’re tougher than their rivals when it comes
to national security.

"It was also unfortunate her press credentials were not current, making
her an easy target," said Baer. "When I was in Iran, I did only what
Irshad [Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, which oversees
foreign journalists] would let me do, even refusing to meet someone from the
British embassy or going to private parties."

"At least she wasn’t taken prisoner by the CIA – she would have been
waterboarded by now," Baer added ironically.

Dr. Sadegh Zibakalam, an analyst and professor of political science at Tehran
University, told IPS in a telephone interview that Saberi is only guilty of
caring deeply for Iran and its people.

She had interviewed the academic for her news reports several times over the
last three years. Saberi also occasionally translated Dr. Zibakalam’s
opinion pieces to English for foreign news agencies and papers.

"Once she told me that she was concerned that her press credentials were
expired and she would eventually have to go back to the United States. She
was very upset. I told her, I will try to help you to renew your press ID,"
he said.

Zibakalam recently wrote an op-ed for a reformist newspaper objecting to Saberi’s
situation. The newspaper initially agreed to publish the piece, but backed
out at the last minute – a reflection, he believes, of the widespread fear
that publicizing the case could provoke the government to shut the paper down.

Zibakalam instead wrote an open letter to the head of Iran’s judiciary,
Ayatollah Mahmoud Shahroudi – which Iranian newspapers also refused to
publish.

"I wrote to Ayatollah Shahroudi asking how a journalist who cannot even
renew her press credentials could have access to classified, secret state documents,
and be able to send those documents to Iran’s enemies like the U.S. and
Israel’s intelligence services? How is it possible?" he said.

On Saturday, a day after the sentencing, in a letter to Tehran’s prosecutor,
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Saberi should be ensured a full defense
during her appeal.

"Ahmadinejad’s letter to the judiciary, as well the head of the judiciary’s
call for a re-investigation of the case, seems to indicate they both were not
aware of the sentence," Hadi Ghaemi, spokesperson for the New York-based
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, told IPS.

"If the judge and prosecutors proceeded without the top leadership’s
knowledge, it means they are out of control. It is also a possibility that
the leadership was aware and now, by advocating for Saberi, it can appear to
be caring about human rights and justice, which is duplicitous," added
Ghaemi.

"The charges against her have no credibility, and if her case is not
resolved soon, it is a bad omen for how much control Iranian leadership has
over its intelligence and security forces," he added.

In his letter, Ahmadinejad also mentioned the Iranian-Canadian blogger Hussein
Derakhshan, who has been in prison since November 2008, accused of insulting
religious leaders. Ahmadinejad requested Tehran’s prosecutor, Saeed Mortazavi,
also ensure that he be able to fully defend himself, according to the state
news agency, IRNA.

On Sunday, President Barack Obama said that he was "gravely concerned"
about Saberi, and denied that she was involved in espionage. "She is an
Iranian-American who was interested in the country which her family came from.
And it is appropriate for her to be treated as such and to be released,"
Obama said.

In a statement Monday, Amnesty International said that "U.S.-Iranian
journalist Roxana Saberi is a pawn to the ongoing political developments between
Iran and the USA and should be considered a prisoner of conscience."

"The fact that Roxana Saberi faced a shifting tide of accusations from
the time of her arrest until her trial is an indication that the Iranian authorities
were looking for any excuse to detain her," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui,
deputy director of Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa Program."There
is no reason for holding Roxana Saberi, unless the Iranian authorities can
provide convincing evidence that she committed a recognizable criminal offense."

"Saberi’s 11 weeks of detention and one-day trial are tainted by
a complete lack of transparency," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director
at Human Rights Watch. "This was a travesty of justice even by Iran’s
poor standards."

Although Iran has a history of accusing dual nationality citizens in the past,
such as Haleh Esfandiari, an Iranian-American scholar, and Ramin Jahanbeglou,
a Canadian-Iranian academic, charged with trying to launch a "velvet revolution"
in Iran, this is the first time that the Iranian authorities have found an
American-Iranian guilty of espionage.

Both scholars were released after a few months and eventually left the country.

Some sources close to the case fear that the Iranian authorities might force
Roxana Saberi to appear on national television and confess to the charges that
she has steadfastly denied, a tactic often used by Iran’s intelligence
services as a part of a deal that can include an early release.

7192 Responseshttp%3A%2F%2Foriginal.antiwar.com%2Fmemarian%2F2009%2F04%2F20%2Fintl-support-mounts-for-jailed-journalist%2FIntl.+Support+Mounts+for+Jailed+Journalist2009-04-21+04%3A00%3A53Omid+Memarianhttp%3A%2F%2Foriginal.antiwar.com%2F%3Fp%3D719 to “Intl. Support Mounts for Jailed Journalist”

""Some sources close to the case fear that the Iranian authorities might force Roxana Saberi to appear on national television and confess to the charges that she has steadfastly denied, a tactic often used by Iran’s intelligence services as a part of a deal that can include an early release. ""

What kind of a bullshit is that? Force her to confess in front of TV cameras and then release her? When was the last time that that happened, Messrs, super duper some source?

*A 1994 honor graduate of North High School, Roxana was active in music, soccer, Key Club, and danceline.
*Roxana earned a double major in French and Communication in 1997 from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN.
*She remained active with music, soccer, and reporting for the campus television and newspaper.
*In 1997, she was selected Miss North Dakota; and was a Top Ten Finalist at the Miss America competition, winning the Scholar Award.
*In 1999, she completed a Master’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism from Northwestern University in Chicago (Northwestern is a Hot Spot CIA recruitment territory).
*In 2000. Roxana earned a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Cambridge University in England.

Her Experience:

*Roxana has worked in video journalism and reporting for various television stations and agencies in several states and England.
*Since 2003, she has served as a free lance journalist representing various international organizations, including the BBC (What international organization?).
*She is presently residing in Tehran, Iran, where she reports on the Middle East; and is completing work on a Master’s Degree in Iranian Studies and International Relations.
*Roxana Saberi with former Iranian President Mohammad
Khatami (http://www.payvand.com/news/09/mar/Roxana-Saberi-…